Big 12 Conference

Jayhawks open Big 12 tournament against Red Raiders

Texas Tech forward Dejan Kravic (11) celebrates with teammates after making the game-winning basket during an NCAA college basketball game against West Virginia in the Big 12 men's tournament Wednesday, March 13, 2013, in Kansas City, Mo. Texas Tech won 71-69.

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Kansas City, Mo.  Texas Tech’s basketball team faced the unenviable task of playing Kansas University on the Jayhawks’ Senior Night a mere 10 days ago.

“Obviously we didn’t play great on Senior Night. One of the worst places to play on Senior Night is in Phog Allen (Fieldhouse),” Red Raider interim coach Chris Walker told the Big 12 Network TV crew after Tech’s 71-69 Big 12 tournament opening-round victory over West Virginia on Wednesday night in Sprint Center.

His squad, which was plastered by KU, 79-42, on March 4, today meets the Jayhawks in a 2 p.m., Big 12 quarterfinal in KC.

“On a neutral court ... like I told our guys before (playing) West Virginia, anything can happen,” Walker added. “As a matter of fact, it’s ‘March Madness.’ Anything can happen. I’ve been in those situations (as assistant coach) at Villanova playing against those great Syracuse teams ... having to win a game to get into the tournament. You know what? That’s what the ‘Madness’ is and that’s what our guys are looking forward to.”

KU coach Bill Self’s Jayhawks, who enter with a 26-5 record compared to Tech’s 11-19 mark, also beat the Raiders, 60-46, on Jan. 12 in Lubbock, Texas.

“We labored at Tech. We were up two at halftime,” Self said Wednesday after exiting the team bus at the Kansas City Downtown Marriott Hotel. “We played them on (KU’s) Senior Night and played them very, very well. The great thing about playing Tech for us is we just played them a few days ago. They are fresh in our guys’ minds.”

Not only that ... the Jayhawks figure to be a motivated bunch after losing to Baylor, 81-58, last Saturday in Waco.

“I think our whole team is excited,” Self said at the team hotel. “I know I am. Although we got a piece of the championship (with Kansas State at 14-4) and we shouldn’t apologize for that, it kind of leaves a bittersweet taste. We’d like to come over here and perform well in Kansas City to set the table for what will be hopefully bigger things to come moving forward for all the teams who qualify for the NCAA Tournament.

“We’ve had a good three days of practice,” Self added. “Our guys are ready to get into our third season (after nonconference and conference). I don’t know if I’ll use it (tying for league crown) as motivation. I do think in the mindset of our guys, there’s still some things to prove.”

The Jayhawks say they won’t take Tech lightly.

“Tech is physical,” KU senior center Jeff Withey said. In fact, Red Raiders big man Dejan Kravic, who was 0-for-6 shooting 10 days ago vs. KU, rebounded a miss from the corner and scored a stickback layup with 0.4 ticks left to beat West Virginia on Wednesday. “When we played them at Tech it was very physical. They rebound the ball well. Even at Allen they were a tough team. They run similar plays to ours.”

Interim may be promoted: Walker, who was given the “interim” tag after replacing Billy Gillispie, could be named permanent Tech head coach in coming weeks.

“I’ve got a one-day contract with God. Every day I wake up I’m happy to be alive,” Walker told the Studio 66 TV crew. “I wake up tomorrow and I’ll still be coach of Texas Tech basketball. It’s an unbelievable university, an unbelievable opportunity. I take it day by day and whatever happens, happens.”

Practice time: KU practiced in Lawrence on Wednesday afternoon. The Jayhawks did not use their allotted time slot to shoot in Sprint Center.

“We’ve been to 10 Big 12 tournaments since I’ve been here. I’ve never gone a day early to practice,” Self said. “If you don’t play on the first day, to get ample time to practice you need to come in two days early. Why would we come in two days early when we live 45 minutes down the road? Today we had 50 minutes allotted time (in Sprint Center). I can talk for 55. That wasn’t enough time. We needed to practice at our place. Maybe it’ll backfire. Maybe it won’t. I didn’t see any reason we should practice twice today.”

Wide open tourney: The winner of the KU-Texas Tech game will play the winner of today’s 11:30 a.m., Iowa State-Oklahoma game at 6:30 p.m., Friday, in Sprint Center. Finals are 5 p.m., Saturday.

“I’d say this is the most open the tournament has been since I can remember,” Self said. “In most years you look at it and say, ‘This team or that team would have the best chance to run off three in a row.’ I really think you can make a strong case if you poll people who have seen all the teams play that six different teams (KU, K-State, Iowa State, Oklahoma, Baylor, Oklahoma State) ... no one would be surprised that they run off three in a row. There are more than six teams capable of winning three in a row. I’m talking about where there’s absolutely no shock value to it. I think it makes for a pretty interesting tournament.”

"Clyde and The Machine, or Take Me into the Way Back Machine, Mr. Peabody"

Part 1

Clyde...maybe the greatest Okie Baller guard ever?

I saw him play on TV once in college for Jack Hartman at SIU. It was the NIT championship and I believe they beat Marquette. Can't recall, if it was live, or a re-run that I saw, but it was back at the time before he entered the pros that I saw it.

Hartman used this weird wrinkle in which the other guard might bring the ball up the floor to 25 feet out and then Clyde would set up a foot or so above the top of the circle (like a high post might today) and the ball was passed to him to initiate the offense as a point guard from that spot at the top of the circle. It got the offense started at exactly the spot where Walt could shoot it, drive it, or pass it. He was a serious threat going either way. He was awesomely ambidextrous.

I remember that he was one of my big four of coolest non KU basketball players I had seen in my teen years. They were: Clyde (SIU), Earl Monroe (Winston-Salem), Pete Maravich (LSU), and Travis Grant (Kentucky State). Most have forgotten 6-7 Travis Grant, whom I mentioned a couple years ago. Travis Grant's team won three straight NAIA rings, but because Travis "The Machine" Grant did not have a great pro career (injury) and played at tiny Kentucky State, and was not exactly commited to D, he is overlooked. But he won the Lapchick Award for best college player overall his senior year. He was famous for saying his Kentucky State team was the best team in Kentucky (better than UK and Louisville). His Wikipedia page is anemic. Didn't play much defense, as I said, but I loved the guy, the moment I saw him in two NAIA games at Municipal Auditorium. He became the men's all time college scoring leader for a career with 4045 points! Had a couldn't miss on the blocks J where he quarter spun and shot with shooting elbow closest to defender and basket. Could make it even when fouled and they called all the fouls in those days, so he was like a three point shooting machine on the block. Only had one good pro season in the ABA with 25 ppg and 6 rpg. He even played for Wilt Chamberlain of the San Diego Conquistadors the only season Wilt coached basketball. Go to this ESPN link and read about Travis "The Machine" Grant, the greatest forgotten player IMHO.

Back to Clyde: after only seeing Frazier once in college, I knew he was a great player, but I was not at all sure he would play point guard in the pros. Figured him for a 2. But the Knicks had Dick Barnett and obviously they had seen enough of him to know he could HANDLE THE BALL. At SIU he was very clean cut and shy. Never did quite understand why SIU wasn't invited to the NCAA, but it had something to do with categorization issues about SIU at the time. Went to NIT and kicked butt.

I go in spells reflecting and not reflecting on the past these days. But a post about Clyde switched on The Way Back Machine, Mr. Peabody.

Though I haven't checked for worst teams lost to, I suspect you could say the same thing about all of the top ten teams this season.

Why?

Let me count the reasons.

XTReme Whistle Swallowing (aka Bilasing named in honor of Jay Bilas speaking truth to power about whistle swallowing).

XTReme Moving Screening (enabled by Bilasing).

XTReme Fouling (enabled by Bilasing).

Couple 1 through 3 with a bad team shooting well on a high energy night, and a good team shooting fair to poor on a low energy night, and you've got the recipe for "Bad Things Happen to Good Teams."

I suspect KU has been particularly vulnerable to "Bad Things Happen to Good Teams," because of KU's XTReme Thinness, too. When KU is not extremely active, it becomes a team very easy to pile drive out of positions.

Everyone is doing it. Even KU. They are doing it because of the games having to be kept in windows. Coaches understand the refs can't call everything. So coaches tried excessive fouling, and then everyone did it. Now the coaches have figured out that moving screens, which are illegal, are an even better unfair advantage, because there is never a foul assigned, regardless of whether the refs are swallowing whistles, or not. It is simply a lost possession if called. And moving screens, you will notice, are rarely called--much less rarely than fouls.

Moving screens are BAD!

They complete the hockey-ization of the game IMHO.

But refs struggling to hold foul calling to < 35 per game, simply cannot even begin to hold down the moving screen violations.

So: until the powers that be decide to "solve" the problem of using referees and flexible rule enforcement to keep games in broadcast windows, the dike is broken on moving screening and everyone is going to do it constantly.

I am against moving screens.

I am against them not being called.

But it will require a united effort to end use of refs and flexible rule interpretation to keep games in broadcast windows.

I proposed recently that one solution would be to simply change the rules so that the clock never stops during TOs, FTs, commercials TOs, etc. The game then is by definition within the broadcast window and the refs can go back to calling the rules consistently, as they are written.

Hmmm. Interesting. I see it happen sometimes but, not alot. I'll look out for it more carefully. I agree though, its like a hip check in hockey. Its a dirty play.
Interesting take on the solution too. Thanks for the lesson Jaybate.

So as soon as you got a lead, it would be in your best interest to stop play as much as possible to let the clock run out. Up 2 pts with 30 seconds left? Call a TO and let the clock run out! Up 4 pts with 20 seconds left? Foul, give the other team their free throws, and meanwhile the clock runs out!

Like soccer? Two halves with no commercial breaks? Then a random amount of stoppage time determined by refs based on when they "feel" that the game should end? As if there wasn't enough controversy after Iowa State!

We'll never see a running basketball clock. But not because of the networks or broadcasting windows. Windows are shattered even in soccer. Honestly, networks do not influence foul calls. It's a league issue.

WOW!! Huggy Bear misses another chance to add to his o-fer lifetime win/loss record against Bill Self!!

Baylor loss may be a blessing in disguise....wake-up call, motivation, rally point, revenge..whatever you want to call it, makes KU a very dangerous team.

Sports Illustrated has Kansas, #1 in the South playing Missouri #8 in the South in the second game in Kansas City!!! If that happens, we better friggin' win or the "The Highwayman " will be all over this board using every Interstate, State, County and local route names he can find!!

The selection committee doesn't care where teams go if they're not a 4 seed or better. Some teams end up close to home while others are sent cross country, and the selection committee does seem to like throw regional match ups if possible before the Sweet 16, and they know a potential KU-MU game will bring in viewers which makes the NCAA more $$$.

One of the first things I'll look at on Sunday is who is our #7 or #8. That game terrifies me. Just think Purdue last year when we had an arguably better team. As much as I loath Mizzery, I don't want to face them. There will be a few awesome #7-8's and a few bad ones.

7-8's as of 3/13/13

Good to play - Colorado St, Creighton, N. Dame, Memphis
Bad to play - Illinois, N. Carolina, Missouri, NC State

In my opinion, many of the 6 seeds are worse than these. Therefore, I really don't care if we're a 1, 2, or 3. I just want a good matchup. I'm not afraid of any 1 seed except Duke, but that's WAY down the road.

I don't want to play Creighton in the tournament. We're definitely the better team, but their game plan is almost identical to Iowa State's: set copious amounts of screens (many of them illegal or moving) to free up a three point shooter and launch it. Like ISU, they can shoot the three ball from every position on the floor, and their shooting percentage is good enough to make it a viable option to winning.

Granted their coaching isn't as good as Iowa State's (ISU definitely traded up going from McDermott to Hoiberg), and their average talent level is not as high as ISU, but Doug McDermott is one of those stretch 3's that gives our defense so much trouble: he can shoot from the outside, or post up inside. Withey can probably limit his post game, but not his perimeter game.

Don't get me wrong, I definitely think we'd win, but given our perimeter defense and propensity to have team-wide cold shooting nights, I don't think we match up as well.

IMHO, this team needs to bring the fire and energy they displayed on Senior Night to every remaining game they have left this season. I was COMPLETELY surprised they didn't show that fighting spirit vs Baylor when an all out Conf. Championship was at stake. Sure Baylor shot lights out, but the team still lacked sufficient effort.

I know the Post Season Tourn. is not a make or break for this team, but we will see what mettle they possess today and/or this weekend. BRING IT Hawks!!!!

Completely off topic.....and may have already been mentioned and I missed it......but did anyone see John Calipari's comments after they lost to Georgia a week ago today? I saw this on ESPN's College Basketball tonight. He was outside of the locker room in a hallway BASHING coach Self. He said something to the effect of, 'I'm not going to blame the players...this is on me and our coaching staff. I am not going to go out and say 'we have no point guard.....or we're the worst team in school history....this is on me....'. I may not be quoting it exactly, but it was clearly a slap in the face to Bill Self and his comments after the OSU loss regarding not having a point guard as well as having the worst team KU has put on the floor since the Topeka YMCA teams played Naismith's team.

Look at the timing on this....a month since it happened, and Calipari was keeping this in his head to use at a later date when his team is clearly inferior to KU's team, regardless of their struggles. WHAT A TOOL.....as bad if not worse than Bruce "High Pitch" Weber's comments.

It seems (to me) like a clear ploy to push guys like Randle and Wiggins away from KU, by showing what a happy-go-lucky, hang out and chill with Jay-Z kind of guy he is........yet a month prior, I recall Calipari saying "My guys are uncoachable". Like that is not a slap in the face of current player in and of itself.

If I could, I would love to tell this scumbag what I think of him in person......Calibrate the Tool called Calipari......

Realistically, though, maybe he SHOULD have said his team doesn't have a point guard. Kentucky's point guard hasn't scored 39 in a crazy tough road game, 20 of which came in the last 5 and a half minutes. Kentucky's poor point guard play has been the real weak link in their game this year, not Noel's injury. Calipari's coaching style has always relied on stellar point guard play, and his top recruited gamble didn't pay off this year, so neither did his season.

Calipari is a great recruiter and NBA prepper, but he's a bad college coach. Self is the best coach in the college game right now, if you ask me.

UK's guards haven't played as good as initially thought - not just the point guard. UK's shooting guard has been more of a weak link than the point guard. Noel's injury didn't help either - try taking the #1 player in the NBA draft at the time off your team and there will be a huge effect. If you think Calipari can't coach, you might ask Bill Self - he beat him twice last year!

KanKU .. I would view the comments the exact same way. Sure came across that way.

On the other hand, Self imploded after the OSU game and said a bunch of things he shouldn't have said. The comments by Calipari are the price, to some extent, of such a blow up. Everything is used in recruiting. But on the flipside, I doubt that the main guy we need .. Julius Randle .. is going to be influenced by that stuff.

mouseclicker: You said -- "Calipari is a great recruiter and NBA prepper, but he's a bad college coach. Self is the best coach in the college game right now, if you ask me."

Ok .. I agree with stuff on Self. But Calipari being a "bad college coach?" Wow. Folks may think he's sleazy (I personally wouldn't go that far), but he is a tremendous coach in my opinion. I'd be interested in why you think he's "bad college coach."

Calipari's biggest weakness as a coach is developing talent. His biggest strength to me is to get stars to play together. That hasn't worked out very well this season, but how many years have people said that one ball isn't enough yet his teams are almost always among the nations elite. I've always thought Calipari was better suited for the NBA, but having been brought up through the college game, he's accustomed to completer player personnel control and that doesn't work well in the NBA. If he could swallow his pride and work with a GM, or someone else making player personnel decisions, I think Calipari could be a great NBA coach.

Calipari's biggest weakness is developing talent? How can you develop talent when 80% of his recruits are McDonalds All-Americans? The only recruits outside the top 25 he has signed at UK are Jon Hood and Willie Cauley. Hood has never fully recovered from his torn ACL. Willie Cauley-Stein was ~40 ranked in the 2012 class and is now projected a top 15 pick in this year's NBA draft. Two players (Deandre Liggins & Josh Harrelson) at UK when Calipari arrived are both playing professionally right now because of Calipari.

Thank you for supporting my point. You get that many highly regarded players together and it can be tough to get them to play together, but Calipari does a great job of that most years. Back to my first point though, how many of Calipari's players from Memphis and UK are legit stars? Rose is all there is with it being too early to tell about Davis. The rest of his players are role players at best in the NBA because they don't develop much, if at all in college and they aren't ready for the NBA game when they get to the NBA.

Don't develop much? Do you realize John Wall, Demarcus Cousins, and Eric Bledsoe would be seniors this year? Your original statement - John Calipari can't develop players is just plain stupid! He had these guys for 1 year! Look at how these players were in November when he started coaching them and how they are in April before heading to the draft? Anthony Davis went from a deer in headlights early in the year to having the greatest season (of accomplishments) in the history of college basketball - Wooden Award POY, National Championship, #1 Pick in NBA Draft, and Olympic Gold Medal! Like I said, most of his UK players in the NBA aren't even 21 yet. If you look at the rosters of the recent NBA all-star game, Kyrie Irving was the youngest player on either roster and he was born in 1992. Jury is still out and I guarantee when Anthony Davis grows into his body, he will be as good as anyone on the court.

You have to be kidding me!!! Why in the world would John Calipari care how Bill Self motivates his team? Calipari was trying to deflect the pressure off the kids after the Georgia lost so they can get ready for Florida. A clear ploy to push guys like Randle & Wiggins from KU??? Since when does Calipari need to push elite recruits away from other schools? UK has already signed 5 five star McDonald All-Americans for 2013!!!

Phoghorn wasn't referring to you. There's a troll known as highway man here because he shows up with a name and avatar related to a local highway of whoever KU is playing. The admins for the LJW ban him almost instantly now when he appears so unless you're on an article right after he posts, you're likely to miss his post and think someone is bad mouthing you when they're really not.